It's the last lap at Copenhagen. In just about 48 hours, world leaders gathered at Copenhagen are meant to seal an accord.

The big question however is can a compromise be reached before the summit ends? 

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has made a desperate appeal.  "Three years of effort have come down to three days of action. Let us not falter in the home stretch," he said.

The European Union is pushing for a single agreement that 'goes beyond Kyoto'. 

Basic countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - are speaking in one voice that developed countries must make mitigation pledges.

While the United States has virtually ruled out carbon cutting targets, the small island states have raised a strong pitch for obligations on the rich and emerging economies.

Even though leaders agree that a time of consensus has come, consensus seems far away.

The latest draft texts have even more gaps than before, reflecting the deepening rifts among the developed and developing nations.